Dallas

Tarrant County District Attorney Seeks Justice for Older Victims

New unit cracks down on elderly financial crimes

With financial crimes against older people at "epidemic" levels, a new unit at the Tarrant County District Attorney's office is finding justice for the most vulnerable victims.

The Elder Financial Fraud Unit started with a handful of cases a few months ago and is now handling 60 cases.

"I thought there was a problem before I started, and now I see it is an epidemic," said prosecutor Lori Varnell, who heads the team of two full-time prosecutors and an investigator.

"We think it is so important to take care of our aging population, and they are prime targets, because that's where the wealth is," Varnell said. "Why do you rob banks? Because that's where the money is."

Prosecuting con artists who prey on older people is a passion for Varnell, a veteran prosecutor who recently returned to the county after a stint in the U.S. Attorney's office.

"It is something near and dear to my heart, because I care for my mother," Varnell said.

One of the unit's first cases involved an 83-year-old Arlington woman who lost money to a roofing contractor earlier this year.

"He said he needed $4,000 to buy material," said Mary Stell, a retired convenience store clerk who lives on Social Security. "Like an idiot, I wrote him a check for $4,000."

Stell said the man kept delaying making the repairs.

"He said, 'It looks like it is going to rain,'" she said.

Then, he claimed his parents were in the hospital and later that his father had died.

She finally grew suspicious of the continuous delays.

"And I said, 'I want my money back. I want it back now!'" she said.

That's when the man disappeared.

"He wouldn't take my calls," she said. "It meant I couldn't do my roof. We're on a fixed income. We don't have the money."

Varnell prosecuted the thief, who has a long criminal record.

Mark Bonilla, 51, was convicted, served four months in jail, and was put on probation for 10 years.

He also was ordered to repay Stell's $4,000.

"I was so relieved. I had prayed and prayed and prayed I'd get my money back," Stell said Wednesday. "I told them (prosecutors) they didn't know what they had done for me."

The DA's office also partners with a nonprofit, the Financial Exploitation Prevention Center of Tarrant County, which provides financial counseling and other resources for older people.

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